Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL)

Depending on your situation, you will need one or two documents from UBC before you apply for your study permit, since these must be included in your application among other documents. If your program is 6 months or less, you do not need to apply for a study permit.

You may need the following documents for your study permit application, depending on your situation. 

Letter of Admission (required for all students) 

You must apply to UBC and receive your Letter of Admission, also known as an offer letter. Depending on your program or faculty, you might need to accept your offer and/or pay a deposit to get your Letter of Admission – check below for details.   

Provincial Attestation Letter (required for  most students outside Canada) 

IRCC announced a temporary measure to stabilize the number of new study permits issued for two years. As of January 22, 2024, study permit applications from outside Canada require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in addition to a Letter of Admission. Master’s degree and doctoral degree students do not need a PAL. 

UBC will issue your PAL, if you need one. Whether you need a PAL and how you get one depends on your situation – read below for details. 

Depending on your situation, you will need one or two documents from UBC before you apply for your study permit since these must be included in your application, among other documents. If your program is 6 months or less, a study permit is not required (check below for details).  

1) Letter of Admission – all students 

You must apply to UBC and receive your Letter of Admission, also known as an offer letter. Depending on your program or faculty, you might need to accept your offer and/or pay a deposit to get your Letter of Admission – check below for details.   

2) Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) – most students outside Canada 

IRCC announced a temporary measure to stabilize the number of new study permits issued for two years. As of January 22, 2024, study permit applications from outside Canada require a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) in addition to a Letter of Admission. Master’s degree and doctoral degree students are exempt from the PAL.  

UBC will issue your PAL, if you need one. Whether you need a PAL and how you get one depends on your situation – check below for details. 

Apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission and Provincial Attestation Letter, if needed. You must receive your Letter of Introduction (study permit approval letter) before you travel to Canada. 

New undergraduate students

You will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.  

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile, then select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca
2. Accept your offer of admission and pay your deposit.
   Learn how to accept your UBC offer and pay the acceptance deposit. 
3. Wait for your Provincial Attestation Letter
   UBC will send you your Provincial Attestation Letter by email in about 3 business days. Check the email account that you provided when you applied to UBC. 
4. Download your Letter of Admission from UBC. 
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select “Letter of Admission”.  
5. Apply for your study permit. 
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application. 

New and returning master’s degree and doctoral degree students

You do not require a PAL since master’s degree and doctoral degree students are exempt from the PAL.  

Apply for your study permit as soon as you receive your Letter of Admission, even if it has conditions. You’re also advised to include an explanation letter, which addresses how you plan to meet admission conditions. 

If you are a continuing or returning student, contact your graduate program staff to request a current Letter of Enrollment indicating your expected completion date.  

Please review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application. 

New non-degree-seeking students studying 6 months or less

This section applies to one-term exchange students, VIRS, access studies, visiting, and unclassified students studying for 6 months or less. 

If you will study in Canada for 6 months or less, you do not need to apply for a study permit and do not need a PAL, but you’ll likely need to apply for a travel document to come to Canada as a visitor.  

Most visitors are allowed to stay in Canada for 6 months from the day they enter Canada. Rarely, the officer could issue a Visitor Record or stamp a passport and write a date for a shorter duration. 

You can study in Canada without a study permit as a visitor if both of the following apply to you: 

1. Your entire program of studies will be completed within 6 months or less, and
2. Will be completed within your first 6-month visitor period 

Therefore, if you will enter and leave Canada within 6 months and complete your studies within your first 6-month visitor period, a study permit and a PAL are not required. If you would like to stay longer, you can apply for a Visitor Record to extend your stay as a visitor after arriving in Canada, but your studies must be completed within your first 6-month period. 

You must apply for and receive a travel document before you can travel to Canada. You should apply as soon as you receive your Letter of Acceptance from Go Global or Enrolment Services. Depending on your citizenship, you need one of the following to travel to Canada as a visitor: 

• An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or  
• A Temporary Resident Visa (TRV).

Contact International Student Advising if you need support with your TRV or eTA.

US citizens, US lawful permanent residents and residents of Greenland or St. Pierre and Miquelon do not require an eTA or TRV. 

Check the travelling to Canada guide for recommended documents to bring and other considerations.  

New two-term exchange students and VIRS studying more than six months

You will need both your Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.  

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.  
   • Check that your name matches the name on your passport and that your home address and date of birth are correct in your profile in the Go Global Student Application Portal and on your Letter of Acceptance (LOA). If you need to correct any information, you must notify Go Global within 5 business days of receiving the email notification about your admission and before accepting your offer of admission. 
2. Download your UBC Letter of Admission
   • You can find the letter in the Go Global Student Application Portal.
3. Accept your offer of admission: Log into the Applicant Service Centre and accept your offer before the deadline  
4. Wait for your Provincial Attestation Letter:
   • If you will study in Canada as a two-term exchange student or as a VIRS student for more than 6 months, Go Global will contact you regarding your PAL about 2 weeks after you accept your offer of admission. 
5. Apply for your study permit: If you’re an exchange student, please use the initial study permit tutorial. VIRS students can follow a separate set of instructions here.   

New unclassified, access studies and visiting students studying for more than 6 months 

If your program of studies is 6 months or less, you do not require a study permit – read the “ New non-degree seeking students studying 6 months or less” section above. 

If your program of studies will be more than 6 months, you will need both your Letter of Admission and your Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before applying for your study permit.  

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Edit Profile and select “Contact Summary” to confirm that your name matches the name on your passport, and that your home address and date of birth are correct. You can update your address in the system, if needed. To update your name or date of birth, email ubc.pal@ubc.ca
2. Accept your offer of admission  
   Learn how to accept your offer and pay your deposit. 
3. Wait for your Provincial Attestation Letter. 
   UBC will send you your Provincial Attestation Letter by email in about 3 business days. Check the email account that you provided when you applied to UBC. 
4. Download your Letter of Admission from UBC.  
   Log into the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, then select ”Letter of Admission”.  
5. Apply for your study permit.  
   Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application. 

Current and returning UBC students

If you cannot return to Canada before your current study permit expires, you will need to apply for a new study permit from outside Canada and wait for your application to be processed before returning to Canada. In this case, you will need a PAL in addition to a current Letter of Enrollment.   

1. Confirm your personal information in your UBC student record.
   • Check that your name matches the name on your passport and that your home address and date of birth are correct in the Student Services Centre. If any information needs to be updated, check changing your personal information.
   • If you require support in changing your personal information, contact Student Records and Financial Services.  
2. Request your UBC Letter of Enrollment
   • Contact an Academic Advisor or your graduate program staff and make sure the letter indicates when you will resume studies, as well as your expected program completion date.
3. Contact International Student Advising
   • Connect with an advisor to discuss your document expiry dates, when you will begin studies, and your travel plans.
4. Request your Provincial Attestation Letter
   • Contact ubc.pal@ubc.ca You can expect your PAL in about 3 business days. 
5. Apply for your study permit.
   • Review our initial study permit tutorial to prepare your application. 

Current UBC students (all programs)

Your study permit validity and study permit extension application from inside Canada are not impacted by these changes, and you do not need a PAL for study permit extensions.  

Plan ahead if your documents expire soon and you have travel plans. In general, it’s best to extend your study permit and Temporary Resident Visa (if you need one), inside Canada before you travel, or that you return before your documents expire to extend your study permit from within Canada. Contact International Student Advising for support with planning your document extensions and travel plans. 

If you apply for your study permit extension from inside Canada before your study permit expires, you do not require a PAL. You will need a current UBC Letter of Enrollment for your study permit extension. Learn how to apply for your study permit extension by reviewing our study permit extension tutorial.   

If your study permit extension was refused or your study permit has expired, contact International Student Advising for assistance.  

New undergraduate students with a study permit

Your study permit validity and study permit extension application from inside Canada are not impacted by these changes. You do not need a PAL and can apply for your study permit extension before it expires with your UBC Letter of Admission.   

Plan ahead if your documents expire soon and you have travel plans. In general, it’s best to extend your study permit and Temporary Resident Visa (if you need one) inside Canada before you travel, or that you return before your documents expire to extend your study permit within Canada. Contact International Student Advising for support with planning your document extensions and travel plans, or if you are outside Canada. 

1. Accept your offer of admission
   • Learn how to accept your offer and pay your deposit.
2. Download your letter of admission from UBC
   • Log in to the Applicant Service Centre, click Admissions, and select Letter of Admission. 
3. Learn how to extend your study permit
   • Review our study permit extension tutorial to prepare your application.

If you are coming from a Canadian high school 

You should apply for your study permit extension as soon as you receive your letter of admission. You can include a letter of explanation to request conditions to work in Canada.  

If your study permit expires more than 6 months from now, contact International Student Advising for support.  

If you are coming from another Canadian post-secondary institution 

If your study permit is still valid, you can use the same study permit to study at UBC. However, you must notify IRCC by changing your DLI number online.  

Contact International Student Advising for support with your study permit validity, as well as with your status in Canada if you completed a program in Canada, and if you will have more than 150 days between institutions or programs.

New students in Canada as a visitor, worker, or asylum seeker

Only some people can apply for a study permit through the process inside Canada and be exempt from the PAL.  

Contact International Student Advising for support.  

If you have questions 

For support with obtaining your Letter of Admission: 

• Undergraduate students: contact undergraduate admissions  
• Graduate students: contact your graduate program staff  
• Current and returning students: contact Academic Advising or your graduate program staff for your letter of enrollment 
• VIRS and exchange students: contact Go Global (exchange) or VIRS  
• Unclassified, access studies and visiting students: contact Enrolment Services (Okanagan or Vancouver depending on the type of your non-degree studies) 

For support with getting your Provincial Attestation Letter, contact ubc.pal@ubc.ca.  

For support with your study permit application, travel documents, or other immigration questions, contact International Student Advising.  

International Student Guide

Find answers to your questions on studying and working in Canada, health insurance, as well as step-by-step tutorials to prepare your immigration application and more. 

View the guide 

Health Insurance and immigration updates and FAQs

Get the latest updates on immigration and health insurance for international students in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). 

Go to FAQ